Original Word: פָתַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: pathal
Pronunciation: pah-THAL
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-thal')
KJV: (shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle
NASB: show yourself astute, crooked, cunning, wrestled
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to twine, i.e. (literally) to struggle or (figuratively) be (morally) tortuous

show self froward, show self unsavoury, wrestle

A primitive root; to twine, i.e. (literally) to struggle or (figuratively) be (morally) tortuous -- (shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to twist
NASB Translation
crooked (1), cunning (1), show yourself astute (2), wrestled (1).

[מָּתַל] verb twist (Late Hebrew Pi`el and derivatives; Arabic ; Ethiopic ; Aramaic מְּתַל, chiefly derivatives, in figure senses; Syriac ); —

Niph`al Perfect1singular נִמְּתַּלְתִּי עִם Genesis 30:8 I have wrestled (literally twisted myself) with; Participle עֲצַת נִפְתָּלִים Job 5:13 the plan of the tortuous; נִפְתָּל וְעִקֵּשׁ Proverbs 8:8 anything tortuous and twisted.

Hithpa`el Imperfect2masculine singular עִםֿ עִקֵּשׁ תִּתְמַּתָּ֑ל Psalm 18:27 with the twisted thou dost deal tortuously = 2 Samuel 22:27 (so read for impossible תִּתַּמָּ֑ל).

Scope of Usage

Strong’s Hebrew 6617 appears five times and always in moral or relational contexts where something—words, motives, or contests—has been “twisted” or “turned” in a figurative sense. The verb highlights tension between integrity and distortion, faith and manipulation.

Patriarchal Struggle: Genesis 30:8

Rachel, competing with Leah for Jacob’s affection and offspring, exclaims, “In my great struggles I have wrestled with my sister and won” (Genesis 30:8). Here the word conveys intense, almost contorted effort. The birth of Naphtali (“my wrestling”) memorializes the episode, reminding later generations that God’s covenant line advanced even amid human rivalry and twisted motives. The passage also foreshadows Israel’s national name—“He strives with God” (Genesis 32:28)—linking the root idea of struggle to the nation’s identity and destiny.

Divine Shrewdness toward the Crooked: 2 Samuel 22:27 / Psalm 18:26

David sings, “to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd” (2 Samuel 22:27; repeated in Psalm 18:26). The term shifts from human maneuvering to divine response. The Lord’s “shrewdness” is not deceit but holy counter-strategy: He frustrates perversity without compromising His purity. The parallel lines—faithful to the faithful, pure to the pure, shrewd to the crooked—affirm an unchanging moral order. God adapts His dealings to human character while remaining perfectly righteous, demonstrating that no scheme can outwit His sovereignty.

Judgment on Human Craftiness: Job 5:13

Eliphaz observes, “He traps the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning” (Job 5:13). The verb accents the self-defeating nature of human guile. Though Eliphaz misapplies the principle to Job’s suffering, the aphorism itself stands: God’s justice overturns manipulation. In the wider canonical frame this anticipates Paul’s citation in 1 Corinthians 3:19, underscoring that divine wisdom nullifies worldly cleverness across both Testaments.

Straight Speech of Wisdom: Proverbs 8:8

Lady Wisdom declares, “All the words of my mouth are righteous; none of them are crooked or perverse” (Proverbs 8:8). By negating the verb, the proverb contrasts divine wisdom with the warped speech characteristic of folly. The sage calls God’s people to vocabulary and ethics that are utterly untwisted, reflecting the Creator’s own dependable character.

Theological Trajectory

1. Covenant Advancement: Even when family relationships are contorted (Genesis), God’s promises move forward.
2. Moral Reciprocity: God mirrors human disposition without moral compromise, rewarding faithfulness and outmaneuvering perversity (Samuel–Psalms).
3. Judgment on Schemes: Human cleverness that edges toward manipulation finds itself overturned (Job, echoed in New Testament).
4. Call to Integrity: Wisdom literature urges straight speech and motives, contrasting the righteous life with twisted alternatives (Proverbs).

Ministry Application

• Pastoral Counseling: Highlight God’s capacity to redeem tangled relationships; He can bring blessing out of rivalry and hurt.
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to cultivate transparency, knowing that any attempt at spiritual manipulation will meet divine resistance.
• Preaching: Use David’s song to assure congregations that God is never caught off guard; He answers crookedness with holy ingenuity.
• Apologetics: Point to the consistency of this theme across Scripture as evidence of the unified biblical worldview on sin, justice, and wisdom.

Christological Reflection

In the Gospels Jesus embodies the antithesis of 6617. Though opponents tried to ensnare Him with twisted questions (Luke 20:20–26), His sinless wisdom silenced them. At the cross, the greatest human scheme was turned into the means of redemption (Acts 2:23). Thus, the verb’s full reversal is seen in Christ: He untwists what is crooked and grants His people the righteousness and straight speech celebrated by Wisdom herself.

נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי נִפְתָּ֥ל נִפְתָּלִ֣ים נפתל נפתלים נפתלתי תִּתְפַּתָּֽל׃ תִּתַּפָּֽל׃ תתפל׃ תתפתל׃ nifTal niftaLim nifTalti nip̄·tā·lîm nip̄·tāl nip̄·tal·tî nip̄tāl nip̄tālîm nip̄taltî tiṯ·pat·tāl tit·tap·pāl titpatTal tiṯpattāl tittapPal tittappālInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts